RUSK COUNTY

SHERIFF’S OFFICE

2020 ANNUAL REPORT

Sheriff Jeffery S. Wallace

It is my pleasure to present you with our 2020 Annual Report. This

year’s report provides you with information on each division and

includes a brief narrative and statistics detailing a 5 year trend.

At years end, we made great strides toward meeting the goals of our

mission and purpose statements which are listed below. Thank you

again for your support in accomplishing everything we have been

able to do in 2020.

Respectfully,

Jeffery S. Wallace

Rusk County Sheriff

Department Mission and Purpose

The mission of the Rusk County Sheriff's Office is to provide timely, courteous,

and professional service to all people, businesses, and agencies who request

assistance from any member of the Rusk County Sheriff's Office.

WE MUST ALWAYS BE WILLING TO HELP

The purpose of the Rusk County Sheriff's Office is to provide professional

law enforcement, criminal investigation, search & rescue, civil process, records,

dispatch, and corrections (jail) service to people who

need and/or request assistance.

WE MUST ALWAYS BE PREPARED AND TRAINED TO RESPOND

In joining the Rusk County Sheriff's Office, deputies make its responsibilities

their own. All department employees are expected to carry out these responsibilities

diligently and courteously and take pride in the service they provide.

SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY

Constitutional Authority

The Office of Sheriff is Created by the Wisconsin Constitution (Article VI, Section 4). It is an elected

office in each county with a four year term. Consequently, the Sheriff is a constitutional officer who is the

Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the County. The Sheriff’s duties are varied and for the most part are

defined in the Wisconsin Statutes. These duties include, enforcing state law and County ordinances,

maintaining the peace, running the jail, and serving both criminal and civil process.

Budget - Levy

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

$3,481,515 $3,619,230 $3,554,625 $3,719,053 $3,631,058

In Memory

Deputy Dan Glaze, #110

End of Watch 10/29/16

Emergency Response Team Sq. 110

In memory of Deputy Dan Glaze, #110.

Glaze Dedication Oct. 29, 2020

Patrol/Investigations Division

Chief Deputy Phil Grassmann

Investigator Riley Kummet, K9

Investigator Steven Gronski

Investigator Zachary Dieckman

Deputy Burton Zielke, Utility Officer Deputy Marc Egle

Deputy Mark Ohmstead Deputy David Fenstermacher

Sergeant Michael Buehler Deputy Anthony Engel

Deputy Benjamin Reisner, K9 Deputy Tyler Branstad

Sergeant Matthew Wojcik Deputy Bryce Baier

Deputy Zachary Neal Deputy Braden Jilek

The Patrol Division strives to provide the highest level of professional law enforcement service

to all the people who live in or travel through Rusk County. Our commitment to professional

standards helps foster a strong relationship between the community and the Sheriff’s Office.

The Patrol Division is responsible for handling both emergency and non-emergency calls for

service. It is dedicated to protecting life and liberty, preserving the peace, enforcing state and

local laws, suppressing crime, conducting preliminary investigations, enforcing traffic laws and

investigating traffic crashes.

The Investigations Division currently has three (3) investigators working on specific assigned

cases in addition to any criminal cases assigned. Inv. Kummet is assigned the Narcotics/K9 and

Major crimes; Inv. Gronski is assigned Property and Major Crimes; and Inv. Dieckman is

assigned Sensitive Crimes and Major Crimes.

The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office receives thousands of calls for service each year. Some

complaints are criminal in nature while others are not. Each criminal complaint is usually

assigned to a deputy in the Patrol Division and completes a written report of the incident. After

the report is completed, the Chief Deputy reviews it. If the complaint is of a criminal nature, the

Chief Deputy will compare all of the known facts of the case that have been reported to establish

“solvability factors”. The Chief Deputy will then decide if the case should be forwarded to the

Investigations Division.

Some cases that will immediately be outside the realm of the patrol deputy may be assigned to an

investigator from day one. Examples of these would include unanticipated death investigations,

undercover drug investigations, child abuse referrals from Child Protective Services, elder abuse

referrals from Adult Protective Services or any other case that is determined that an investigator

should be the first responder or point of contact. Investigators also receive non-criminal

assignments such as welfare fraud referrals, child welfare checks, fire investigations that may not

be criminal in nature, forensic previews of cell phones for other agencies, follow-up requests and

John Doe investigations from the district attorney’s office and forensic recorded child victim

interview to name a few. These additional assignments are not captured in the crime data that is

reported to the federal government for tracking purposes and all of these assignments may not

appear in the total cases referenced below.

Each year deputies receive specialized and ongoing training in a wide variety of topics. Some of

these included legal updates, CPR and first aid, defense and arrest tactics, firearm training,

officer safety and ethics training.

CAD – Calls for Service

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

15,169 15,890 14,530 9,004 11,658

OCA – Case Assignments

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

4,564 4,152 3,671 5,274 6,146

Rusk County Tactical Team

Pictured is the Barron Co./Rusk Co. ERT Team training exercise

with the Barron County Bearcat

Sheriff Wallace formed a Tactical Team in 2018. Members of the Rusk team are: Investigator

Riley Kummet, Investigator Zach Dieckman, Patrol Deputy Mark Ohmstead, Patrol Deputy Ben

Reisner, Patrol Sgt. Matt Wojcik and Patrol Deputy Dave Fenstermacher. The members of the

Rusk County Team have joined forces with the Barron County ERT team. This team consists of

1 Commander, 13 Entry, 4 Snipers, 2 Negotiators and 4 Tactical Medics.

In 2018 the Sheriff’s Office obtained a Humvee through the WI Dept. of Defense. The state has

the authority to transfer excess property to be used for Law Enforcement activities. This

program is known as the 1033 Program. Some anonymous volunteers and L’Cars Automotive

donated their time to make this vehicle operational. This armored vehicle is used by the

Emergency Response Tactical Team and has been assigned the number 110 in memory of

Deputy Dan Glaze, #110.

Transport Team

In 2016, Sheriff Wallace formed a transport team with retired deputies assigned to the transport

team. Deputy Mark Warner, Deputy Anthony Arts, Deputy Steve Pyfferoen and Deputy Peter

Jones’ primary responsibility is to transport individuals safely to jails, prisons and other secure

facilities. These transports may require travel to out of state locations. The transport team may

be assigned court security duties as needed.

Project Lifesaver

In 2016, our agency renewed its affiliation with Project Lifesaver International. The program

allows for caregivers of certain people who may have a tendency to wander to sign them up and

have the ability to locate and safely return their loved ones through the use of a tracking device.

The clients typically have cognitive conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Autism or

Downs Syndrome, however any cognitive condition the client has which gives them a tendency

to wander may be considered for the program. Once approved by a caregiver with

parental/guardianship or power of attorney rights, the client has a small transmitter which emits

an FM radio signal placed on their wrist or ankle. If the client wanders from home or the

facility, the caregiver can call 911 and specially trained deputies respond with FM receivers to

attempt to locate and safely return the individual.

K9 Patrol

Kona, Badge 159 Boone, Badge 158

The first Rusk County K9 handler was Ronald Baures. From 2002 – 2014 Jeffery Wallace was

the K9 Deputy. In 2015, Deputy David Fenstermacher was assigned K9 duties and K9 Xaro was

acquired from and trained at the Colorado Springs Law Enforcement Center, Colorado. In

November of 2016, K9 duties were reassigned to Deputy Rae Pyfferoen. K9 Xaro was retired in

September 2018. K9 Kona #159 joined the department in November 2018. Kona is certified in

narcotics detection through USPCA and NPCA. Her hander is Investigator Kummet. K9 Boone

#158 joined the department in 2019. Boone is certified in patrol and narcotics detection through

USPCA and NPCA. His handler is Deputy Reisner.

The K9 assists in narcotics detection, handler protection, criminal apprehensions, article searches

and tracking. The K9 has been used in helping keep drugs/narcotics out of the schools and

assists with many search warrants and cases. As you can see, the K9 is very busy and very

valuable to the sheriff’s office and the citizens of Rusk County.

Utility Patrol

The Utility Patrol is assigned to Deputy Zielke. He is responsible for enforcing ATV,

snowmobile and boating laws throughout the county. Additionally, the utility patrol is assigned

to EDGE (formerly DARE) and county conservation duties. ATV, Water and Snow patrols are

reimbursed through the DNR for hours worked and County Conservation duties were previously

reimbursed through the Forestry Department for hours patrolled in the county forests. Beginning

in 2019, the County Conservation hours have been levied in the Sheriff’s budget.

Dispatch/Jail Division

Jail Captain George Murray

Deputy Keith Duchnowski Deputy Jane Nitek

Deputy Thomas Olynick Deputy Stephanie Stone

Deputy Ryan Tuma Deputy Dolores Hraban

Deputy Kerry Read Deputy Samuel Rohe

Deputy Gina Olson Deputy Kyle Madlon

Deputy Julie Olsen Deputy Jennifer Root – hired 4/16/20

Deputy Kayla Sieg – hired 4/16/20 Deputy Kasandra Zebro – hired 5/13/20

Deputy Austin Murray – hired 5/20/20

Rusk County Dispatch/Jail Division serves the needs of the public in emergencies and provides a

safe, secure and humane environment for those individuals committed to our custody through

fair treatment, respect and dignity. Our dispatch/jailers are cross trained to answer 911 calls as

well as conforming to state and national standards for jail operations.

All inmates sentenced and/or booked in the Rusk County Jail are classified to determine their

housing according to the Sheriff’s Office classification system. The purpose and goals the

classification decision are based on The U.S. Constitution, state law, administrative code and the

Rusk County Sheriff’s Office Policy and Procedure. Specific areas of the jail are designed to

house the various classifications of inmates based on the above guidelines and the inmate’s

needs. 2018 was the first year we housed inmates out of county due to crowding issues.

Inmates remanded to the custody of the Rusk County Sheriff following a court proceeding

undergo a primary classification process in a manner that protects both the inmate population and

jail staff. The reclassification process assures the appropriate inmate housing to maintain the

overall safety and security of the jail.

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Yearly Inmate Booking 848 808 762 623 426

Average Daily Inmate

Count 41 42 42 33 29

Out of Co. Inmate Housing

Revenue $62,685.26 $92,907.86 $75,152.10 $59,207.28 $61,622.84

Out of Co. Housing Exp. $14,362.00 $12,255.00 $0.00

The Rusk County Jail has many programs provided to the individuals in custody.

Commissary – Stellar Services holds the contract for jail commissary services. Inmates are

allowed to purchase items such as hygiene products, over the counter medications, snacks, and

stationary items. Families are able to deposit money on an inmate account. Commissary profits

from purchases are used to purchase items needed for all inmates in the jai.

Medical – Advanced Correctional Healthcare holds the contract for jail medical services. ACH

provides a jail nurse fifteen (15) hours per week.

Food Service – Rusk County HHS/Senior Services provides jail meals. The meals are prepared

at the senior center and delivered to the Rusk County Jail. Two hot and one cold meal are served

daily.

Jail Programming and Inmate Resources – Inmates of the Rusk County Jail have access to an

array of programs, support groups, services, and educational opportunities. Some programs are

not only AODA based, but also faith-based. Rusk County Law Enforcement Chaplains provide

religious services and intervention programs in the jail.

Other

CIDNET inmate program installed in the jail, September 2020, from Jail ATM for jail

kiosks and paid with commissary funds

Painted Dorm 3

Replaced the existing fire alarm system in the jail and linked the courthouse system to it

Total inmates down due to Covid-19. 426 bookings total with 307 males and 119

females

Jail restricted to employees only most of the year

Probation, Attorney, or services provided virtual via Blue Jeans or Zoom

Support Services

Office Coordinator Debra Flater

The Office Coordinator position is required to carry out daily work assignments and also

supervises the work of other employees. As such, it requires the person in this position to be

deputized with limited powers and have working knowledge of department rules and regulations,

policy and procedure, while at the same time being able to relay that knowledge to fellow

employees. This involves utilizing good judgment and communicating with other employees,

agencies, and the public.

Jail Account Specialist Ann Boehmer

This position will be required to have general clerical, bookkeeping and accounting knowledge to assist

and manage the jail canteen account, jail inmate Huber account, other agency inmate billing, grant

reporting, local/sentenced inmate billing, inmate medical billing, juvenile detention billing and any other

duties assigned by the Sheriff.

Records Management Specialist Christa Doughty

This position requires providing counter service to citizens, updating and maintaining the

department computer records as needed, transcription, data entry, filing, answer telephone calls

and routing messages. Acts as a fill in and assists other areas in the department as is needed or as

requested by the Ladysmith Police Department.

Victim Service Specialist Nancy Hahn

This position provides services to victims and witnesses of crimes requiring early intervention

services after the occurrence of the crime, follow-ups may occur at timely intervals; works

closely with law enforcement, other service providers, and other victim/witness staff to

coordinate services; trains and instructs volunteers to be sensitive to victim issues and understand

program goals.

Position exists to enhance existing services and close a gap through early intervention contact and

services. If critical incident stress debriefing and crisis response is necessary for individuals or

groups who have suffered traumatic crime impact, necessary contacts can be made.

Law Enforcement Chaplaincy Program

The purpose of the Rusk County Law Enforcement Chaplaincy Service is to: 1) support the

efforts of the law enforcement agency by offering spiritual guidance and assistance to persons

confronted with crisis experience when requested, 2) Serve as a communication link between

persons in crisis and their own spiritual advisors, 3) Coordinate follow-up counseling for those

indicating both a need and interest in such help, and 4) Lighten the burden of the law

enforcement officer by encouraging, supporting and assisting, when requested, in the

performance of tasks which tend to have a greater spiritual, rather than legal, implication, i.e.

death notifications, domestic disturbances, spiritual counseling requests, etc. These services are

provided on an on-call basis, 24 hours a day, and seven days a week.

2020 – Due to Covid-19 the chaplains were not able to volunteer hours for jail/inmate

programs within the jail.

2019 Chaplain Volunteer Hours – 435.75 logged hours

Office Jail

Bible

Study Training Church Meetings Officer Community Transport

19 99.25 69 24 42 45 2 121 14.5

2018 Chaplain Volunteer Hours – 438.75 logged hours

Office Jail

Bible

Study Training Church Meetings Officer Community Transport

25 67.5 41.25 10 34 124.5 2 122 12.5

Law Enforcement Memorial

In 2020, due to Covid-19 the annual LE Memorial was cancelled. A dedication and prayer

service was held in memory of Deputy Dan Glaze and a plaque and flag pole in his honor

was revealed.

The Rusk County Chaplaincy Program sponsors an annual Law Enforcement Memorial

dedicated to honoring America’s law enforcement community. National Police Week pays

special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty

for the safety and protection of others.

On a local level, the elements of the Law Enforcement Memorial symbolize loss and honor the

memory of fallen officers: Presentation of Colors, National Anthem, Recognition of Local

Officers, various presentations and guest speakers, and the “Reading of Fallen Officers”,

followed by the Retrieval of Colors by the Honor Guard and Taps. The Chaplains close with the

benediction.

After the service, there is a pie and ice cream social. All proceeds go to the Rusk County

Chaplaincy Program.

Honor Guard

Pictured left to right: Investigator Zach Dieckman, Deputy Kerry Read, Deputy Anthony Engel,

Investigator Riley Kummet and Deputy Mark Ohmstead.

Shop With A Cop/Christmas for Kids

Shop With A Cop/Christmas For Kids has been funded by local donations for more than 30

years. The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office, Ladysmith Police Department, WI DNR and WI State

Patrol and many citizens have volunteered their time to participate in this program.

In 2020, we were able to serve 191 children from 83 different families. Again, due to Covid-19,

we were unable to interact with the children. Families were chosen for the program which they

picked up their gift packages from the Sheriff’s Office. Volunteers assisted in purchasing gifts

for the children, Jennie-O donated turkey breasts for each family and a $50 gift certificate from

Ladysmith Fresh Market was given to each family. Overall, the program had good participation

and went well.

In the past, children that participated in the Shop With A Cop program were between the ages of

7 – 11. They had breakfast with the officers, played dodgeball, created crafts, and went shopping

with local law enforcement personnel. Each participating family also received a food basket at

the end of the program to take home for a holiday/Christmas meal.

The Christmas for Kids program assists families with children that are not eligible to participate

in the Shop With A Cop Program. Volunteers pre-shop for the children and families receive

their gift bags as well as a food basket.

TRIAD Law Enforcement and Senior Citizens Working Together

A major purpose of TRIAD is to develop and implement useful crime prevention and education

programs for senior citizen community members, which includes combating unwarranted fear of

crime and instilling good crime prevention practices. TRIAD works to encourage a coordinated

and cooperative approach to crime-related problems of older persons. Due to the lack of

involvement and volunteers, the TRIAD program was disbanded in 2020. The $118.04 treasury

funds were donated to the Shop With A Cop program.

Drug Drop Box Program

Rusk County was awarded a grant from the WI Dept. of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer

Protection to purchase a drug drop box. The drug drop box is located at the entry of the Rusk

County Law Enforcement Center. The goal of this drop box is to reduce the health and

environmental risks posed by unwanted prescription drugs.

Investigator Steven Gronski collects the drugs and packs into specific shipping containers

provided by DOJ and disposed of through the no-cost drug disposal offered by DOJ.

Drug Education, Prevention & Enforcement

The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office has formed a community alliance to educate the public on the

threats and dangers of methamphetamine, as well as all drugs, within our community. Through

this effort, law enforcement administrators and assigned drug personnel will organize meetings,

trainings and informational sessions with all county schools, local EMS/hospital staff, children

service agencies, area businesses and other service agencies on local drug trends and

enforcement concerns. Investigator Riley Kummet has been assigned the lead drug investigator

and presents drug education seminars at local events such as Meth Town Hall Meetings, schools

and Safety Wellness Council.

Community Support

I would like to thank the community for their strong support of law enforcement in Rusk County.

Over the past several years we have faced some extremely difficult incidents, and the outpouring

of support from our community has been extremely appreciated.